


The man in the library

by bunnysworld



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Mistaken Identity, Misunderstandings, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-02-07 20:10:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1912164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnysworld/pseuds/bunnysworld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is what happens after <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/1806886">The Library</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	The man in the library

**Author's Note:**

> So many of you asked for a sequel to the drabble. It wouldn't leave me alone, so here it is. 
> 
> For anyone who didn't read the drabble, you probably should or else you miss how Arthur and Merlin meet for the first time. 
> 
> Thanks to my trusty beta issy. I were nothing without you!

Merlin closed his eyes again as he sat in the make-up chair. He knew he shouldn’t have wandered off, or at least told someone where he would vanish to, but the headache he had already felt lurking in the back of his head since he’d gotten up only made him scramble into the dark and the library with the drawn heavy curtains and its distinctive smell of old books had seemed to be the perfect place. He didn’t know how long he had rested, at some point falling asleep, before the man – probably one of the butlers of this place – had woken him up. But the tall blond with manners that seemed to be too antique for his age had been nice to talk to and when Merlin had gotten up, he had felt the vertebrae in his neck popping back into place and his headache eased a bit. Obviously, the man had no idea who he was or else he hadn’t said all those things about the ‘main character’. Then again, it hadn’t been nice of himself to talk like that about the man who owned this beautiful mansion. But what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, right?

Now Nimueh was refreshing his make-up, babbling about what a difficult time she had covering the circles underneath his eyes, while he tried to remember the lines for his next scene. At least he wasn’t in the scene they shot outside and could evade the bright sunlight – not that the spot lights were much better – while they did a scene at the stables. 

“Merlin?”

“Hmm?”

“Look at me, please?”

He looked up and into Nimueh’s critical eyes. She was checking his make-up, he knew, but that look gave him goose bumps each and every time. 

“It won’t get any better. You better get enough sleep tonight, those dark patches underneath your eyes are hell to cover.”

“I had a rough night, I promise that I try not to be as much trouble tomorrow morning.” 

She nodded but then laughed. “You better not be! Or else I’ll have to make sure personally that you get enough sleep.” She winked at him which made the goose bumps reappear, and not in the good way either.

So he was happy when he was called onto set as the director wanted them to rehearse the scene. 

+++

 

Arthur tried to concentrate on the book he’d taken from the shelf but his eyes were drawn to the couch the man had rested on and his thoughts wandered. It wasn’t often that he found someone he wanted to spend time with. In his position he couldn’t afford to go out like commoners did. He didn’t play any role in throne succession, but still he was connected to the Queen and every misstep would bring him the attention of the press and he didn’t need that. So he used business trips to find someone to satisfy his needs, even though the trips abroad had gotten less frequent over the past two years. Arthur had been so busy trying to keep the estate alive that it took precedence over everything else. But the man he had found in his private rooms did something to his insides that was disconcerting. 

Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, Arthur sighed. He did not need this. It was one more complication in his life. It was good that the film crew would be gone in a few weeks and with them, the stranger. 

Despite himself, Arthur smiled. The bloke obviously had no idea who he had been talking to. When the film crew arrived, Arthur had left it to Leon to welcome them to Camelot Mansion and inform them about the dos and don’ts, not wanting to have anything to do with them himself. But just as he had been wrong thinking that he could just go on with his life and ignore their presence, he had been wrong in thinking that he was not interested in the goingson. 

He was not too interested in movies or TV but the process of it being made seemed appealing now. Especially since all he had to do was leave this room and look outside to where they were shooting a scene just outside the main doors. 

Arthur set the book aside and got up. He wouldn’t be able to concentrate on his book anyway, so he could as well risk a glimpse. And maybe, even though he would never admit this, he would see the bloke from his couch again and find out what exactly his job in this production was. 

As he stood, hopefully unseen from outside, half hidden behind a curtain, Arthur’s eyes searched the set. Judging from the clothes the man had worn, he might have been one of the actors, probably someone in the background, but no matter where Arthur looked, he couldn’t find him. But the filming had started again and they drove old-fashioned cars up and down the yard, a woman with a hat so huge that Arthur couldn’t see her face, getting out of one of them with the help of a man in a uniform. 

It seemed to take forever to film this, but Arthur still watched and jumped when Leon cleared his throat. 

“Is there anything I can do for you, your lordship?”

Arthur only pulled his gaze away from the film crew and shook his head slightly. “Thank you, Leon. Isn’t it fascinating how they make people believe we still live in the 1920s?”

“Oh yes, my lord. Not that I had much time to watch them work.”

Taking a deep breath, Arthur turned away from the window. “You’re right, I shouldn’t waste my time with it either.” He straightened his cardigan and nodded at Leon. “Is there anything else?”

“You asked me to remind you when dinner is ready.” 

Arthur almost smiled sadly at that. He had known Leon all his life, they had grown up together, building blankie forts on stormy winter nights when the old house was a bit spooky, running about in the gardens, climbing trees, driving his father crazy with their yelling. Yet he still acted like he was just the butler of the mansion and not an old friend. 

“Thank you.”

+++

Merlin yawned. This had taken so much longer than he had hoped. It was either him or Freya messing up the lines and on the few occasions they got them right, one of the horses had done something that just didn’t go with the scene. Merlin couldn’t be angry at them, he liked animals, so what if one of them had to pass wind and they had to clear the small box because the smell was unbearable? And it had been so funny that the beautiful brown stallion had farted just as Freya had declared her undying love for him. After that things had gone downhill as giggle fit after giggle fit had shaken either her or him and no professionalism ever could make them stop. Only the thought of finally falling into his bed had helped him pulling himself together and finishing the scene. 

Back at the costume trailer, he discovered that the riding boots they had given him had left a blister on the side of his foot. It was time to call it a night and if it had been up to him, he’d just grabbed his clothes and wandered through the castle in his undies and a t-shirt, to get to his room as soon as possible. 

The mansion was too far away from any hotel, so they had their quarters here, too, which was convenient on day like these. Merlin tried not to be a diva, but he just hated to fall asleep in a car that took him back to some hotel and was always a bit grumpy when he had to wake up just to fall asleep again as soon as he was in his room. 

So this situation was very convenient, even though he had to slip into his jeans and hoodie to pad to his room. 

As he padded down a corridor that looked familiar, the backpack with his scripts over one shoulder, his right sneaker in his hand, his stomach grumbled. Merlin sighed. Due to his nap, he had forgotten to eat at lunch break. If he went to bed like this, hunger wouldn’t let him sleep for long, he needed to eat. For a short moment, he pondered pulling out his mobile, calling someone of the crew, asking for something to be brought to his room. But they were working even harder than he did, most of them were up long before he had to show at the make-up trailer, they needed their sleep. The kitchen had to be somewhere, the butler had mentioned it when they had greeted them and shown them around. This staircase looked familiar.

 

+++

 

Usually, after a long day, Arthur retreated to the sitting room and had a drink or still went over some numbers with a tea, but the shooting had taken very long this day and it had simply been too loud to relax, so Arthur had decided to work out a bit. He still smiled when he saw the little gym he had had built in. Everything was state of the art as soon as you opened the old doors. After an hour of running and lifting weights, Arthur reached for his towel. With a bit of luck, the film crew was done now and he could go to bed. After a little detour via the kitchen, he mused. Katrina would scold him if he showed up at any other time of the day, but at this hour, she was probably already in her room, dreaming of all the wonderful things she would cook. 

Rubbing the towel across his neck, Arthur jumped down the stairs and frowned when he saw that the light in the kitchen was still burning. He wasn’t so broke that he couldn’t afford one light that was burning all through the night, but he wasn’t happy about it either. 

He stopped in his tracks when he noticed a backpack that seemed to be so out of place on the scrubbed counter and a lone runner on top of it. Only then he noticed the very well-formed arse sticking out from the fridge. He could have looked at this arse forever. Probably not forever since looking alone soon wouldn’t be enough, so Arthur knew he had to do something before he did something that he didn’t think through, so he cleared his throat. 

That alone made the owner of that perfect arse jump, hit his head on a shelf in the fridge and then emerge, grumbling and cursing, rubbing the back of his head. 

_Is there anything I could help you with?_ was what Arthur wanted to say. But when he saw the black hair and the blue eyes, he just said “You!”

A little chuckle reached his ears as he took in the mischievous smile and the tired eyes.

“You’re good at catching me where I shouldn’t be.”

Arthur knew exactly that Katrina would never allow the film crew in her kitchen. She would cook up a storm for them if she was asked to, but this was her realm. Even he was only tolerated. “Don’t you have your own catering?”

“Yes, we do. But I forgot to eat because of…you know…this afternoon and now everyone is already gone.”

Dropping his towel on one of the stools, Arthur couldn’t help but smile. The man looked so tired and was yet so…so…adorable in not wanting to bother anyone that Arthur almost reached out and pulled him close. Nobody ever before made him feel so protective and he didn’t even know the man. “Alright.” He reached for the door of the fridge. “What do you feel like having?” 

“Don’t know. I think I saw some sliced turkey back there or something. Just a light sandwich, I’m dead on my feet.”

“Sit down, I’ll make you one.” Arthur didn’t have to make a sandwich in all of his life but he wouldn’t let the man go hungry. “Speaking of feet…” He threw the bloke’s feet a look, one clad in a runner, the other only in a sock.

Scrambling onto a stool, the man laughed. “I caught myself a blister in those riding boots. I hope they can widen them a bit before I need them again.”

“Oh, you’re one of the horse handlers?” Arthur was still busy trying to remember what to put on a sandwich.

Snorting out a laugh, the man turned. “Mind if I get a glass of water?”

“Not at all.” Arthur triumphantly put a second slice of bread on top of the tower of turkey, salad and tomatoes he’d built and didn’t even notice that the man opened a few cupboards, found two glasses and filled them with tap water. “Here you go.” It wasn’t the most perfect sandwich ever, but it was most likely edible.

He blinked when the other shoved a glass of water over. “Thank you.”

“Mmmm,” the man moaned around a bite, “either I’m really hungry or this is the best sandwich ever.”

Arthur smiled and sipped his water. 

“You’re not eating anything?”

“I’ve had a full dinner.”

“You’re pretty fit. Do you really have to work out? I bet the old man keeps you on your feet all day long.”

Arthur quickly took another sip of water when he felt those blue eyes running up and down his body and tried to hide his amusement, too. “I’ll try to stay in shape.”

“Looks fine to me.” The man finished his sandwich. “That was good, thank you.” He slid off the stool. “I hate to be a spoilsport, I’d love to talk to you a bit more. But I need to get some sleep, they’ll need me again at around five.” He put the dish and his empty glass into the sink and then grabbed his lone shoe and the backpack. “Thanks for the sandwich, I feel a lot better now. See you tomorrow?”

Smiling, Arthur nodded. Yes, he would love to see the other man again and would do anything in his might to make it happen, even though once again the dark-haired bloke had insulted him unknowingly. “Good night.”

+++

On his way back to his room, Merlin smiled. It was the second time the blond had caught him in a part of the mansion where he wasn’t supposed to be, but instead of telling him off, he had made him a sandwich. Merlin had better sandwiches before, but he had been hungry and it was a nice gesture, so he had eaten it. 

If it hadn’t been so late already, he would have stayed and talked to the man, whose intense eyes didn’t seem to miss any details. Except for one, he sure wasn’t a horse handler. Had he been one, he would have brought his own boots. Merlin made a mental note to ask Gwen for a blister plaster in the morning. She usually had _everything_ along. 

Yawning widely, Merlin closed the door behind himself and dropped his things. He needed to wash the horse smell off, so he took a half-hearted shower before he collapsed on the bed. 

Would he see the man again the next day? What was his job here at the mansion? And why did he care? The blond was easy to look at and had been very friendly to him. Merlin had liked what he’d seen in the library in the afternoon; the man was just his type. But seeing him in work-out clothes, sweatpants that just hugged his arse and a tight, slightly sweaty t-shirt was a real turn-on. For a short moment, Merlin pondered having a little fun wanking, but he was too worn out, so he just fell asleep with a smile on his face.

+++

 

Looking after the horse-man, Arthur caught himself smiling. Maybe he had been lonely lately, but this bloke was just what he liked. Even though he had been tired, there was a twinkle in his eyes when he talked and that voice had run down Arthur’s spine like velvet. 

Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, Arthur left the kitchen and went to his bedroom. He knew sleep wouldn’t come. After working out, he had managed to shove the thought of the other man out of his mind, but after meeting him at the fridge, he was constantly back on his mind. That arse alone made his mouth go dry, sticking out from where the man had bent over, as if it was just waiting to be touched, fondled, pinched, slapped and then claimed. Arthur’s dick twitched as he shed his clothes. 

He stepped into the shower and tried to take as little time as possible. But as he ran the soap over his heated skin, his dick reacted even more. So he teased himself in a way he hadn’t allowed in quite a while and it didn’t take long before he had to brace himself against the tile with one hand as his other pumped up and down his cock. Closing his eyes, all he could see was black hair, blue eyes, sticking out ears and a friendly smile. As he came, Arthur knew he would have shouted the man’s name if he’d only known it. 

Standing under the spray for a moment, not moving, just letting the water wash over him, Arthur wasn’t sure if he wanted to get to know the man or if it was better if he just stayed a fantasy. He knew he should have come clean in the kitchen and introduce himself. But it was nice that for once, someone didn’t treat him according to his title, but as the man behind it. 

Sighing, Arthur shut the water off and reached for a towel. It was all too confusing. Just two little encounters with someone were enough to totally throw him. 

+++

The morning had started hectically as the crew had to throw all schedules overboard. A bit of rain usually wasn’t anything that made them not go through with what they’d planned, but the ‘bit of rain’ had turned into a downpour of epic proportions, so the huge scene with the garden party couldn’t be realized. Instead, they decided to do close-ups in corridors and other inside locations, smaller scenes and none of them in order. Which was normal for filming, but Merlin still preferred if the things he had to do had some kind of logic to them. But at least his headache was gone and the shoes he got to wear today didn’t bother the blister, so he was in a good mood.

“Merlin?”

He looked up and smiled widely when he saw Gwen approaching. “Hi Gwen. Thanks for the plaster, it works wonders.”

She smiled back. “Any time, you know I always have this stuff along.” She sat in the chair next to him. “About that scene…”

Soon they were in the middle of a discussion about the scene they were about to shoot and rehearsing their lines.

+++

“Is there anything I can do for you, your lordship?”

Arthur pulled back from the window. “Arthur, it’s Arthur, Leon. Your lordship was my father.” He smiled. 

Leon didn’t comment on that and Arthur almost sighed. He wondered what had happened since the days they were skinning their knees together as children. “And yes, there actually is something you could do for me. If possible, could you get me a schedule of the shooting?”

Leon just looked at him, his expression not giving away what he was thinking.

“So I can…I want to get a better overview of where I can go and when to expect being troubled.” Arthur knew that was a lame excuse and he knew that Leon saw right through him. 

“Of course, my lord.”

“I’ll be in my office.” 

Leon nodded and retreated as Arthur turned away from the window. He thought he had heard something about a big scene in the gardens, but the weather probably had made them change plans. There was nothing to see, so he could as well make a few calls and check on the numbers that came in last night. 

Arthur looked up again when Leon entered quietly, put a tray with fresh tea next to him and poured him a fresh cup. “Thank you.”

“Here’s the schedule, my lord.”

Arthur reached for the colored pages.

“The pink one is the schedule for today, the light blue one the overall schedule. I have been informed that this might change depending on weather and other situations, so it’s difficult to say if the schedule for tomorrow still stands. They give out a daily one each morning.”

Before Arthur could even take a breath to mention that he would like the daily schedule from now on, Leon continued. “A copy of it will be delivered to us from now on.”

“Thank you, Leon.” Arthur was already emerged in trying to figure out what the abbreviations meant and how to read the schedule. 

+++

Due to the change in schedule, Merlin found himself having the evening off, which didn’t happen too often in those hectic weeks of filming. But when everyone returned to the set after a late lunch break between 3 and 4 pm, he wasn’t needed any longer. First, he hung out on set for a while, seeing if someone came up with the idea of having him in the background somewhere, but it made no sense with the scenes they shot, so he went to his room to go over his lines again. But he had memorized the script already and got bored quickly. 

Still, he took it along as he left his room. This castle in the middle of nowhere was far too beautiful to not be explored. Merlin knew he was on thin ice, he had been found twice in areas that were off limit to them and he didn’t want to be trouble for the production, but wandering around corridors couldn’t really be prohibited, could it? And if all else failed, he could still claim he tried to memorize lines and didn’t watch where he was going.

He leafed through the script as he silently wandered down a corridor and almost ran into the man standing by the window.

“Oh, err…hi.” Merlin beamed widely. It was the man from the day before, the one who had haunted his dreams all night long and if he were honest, he had been hoping for just that.

“Hello.” The blond returned the smile. “Are you wandering again?”

“Yeah…I mean, no…I was reading my script and somehow took the right turn….wrong turn, wrong turn!” Merlin grinned.

“The wrong turn, I see. If I didn’t know it any better, I would assume you were looking for someone?” 

Merlin rolled the script up but didn’t take his eyes of the other man. “Subconsciously...probably.” 

“What am I going to do with you now?” Arthur thought he never smiled so widely. The bloke’s grin was contagious.

“How about…” Merlin pretended to ponder. “…you show me the part of the castle that I haven’t seen yet, so I don’t have to go exploring on my own.”

“How about…” the man copied his posture, “…you tell me your name first?”

“I’m Merlin, you?”

“Arthur, call me Arthur.”

“Okay. So, would you show me the castle?” Merlin was interested in the house and the history behind it, but he was more interested in spending time with the blond…with Arthur. 

Arthur nodded. “Follow me.”

+++

Usually, Arthur left it to Leon to give people tours around the mansion but he had listened to enough of them to know most of the things he told, so he gave Merlin the full tour, ending it in the library that Merlin already knew. He liked how Merlin had asked questions and noticed little details that were so common and every-day to him that he didn’t even notice them anymore. 

“That’s about it, you have seen all the interesting things around the house.”  
Merlin’s smile changed a bit. “Not all of them.” He stepped a bit closer and Arthur’s heartbeat sped up. Did Merlin mean what he thought he meant?

“Oh? What else would you like me to show you?”

Arthur watched as Merlin closed his eyes and swallowed hard. If he wasn’t mistaken, Merlin showed interest in him. He was so out of practice that he couldn’t help the nervousness creeping up his spine. 

“There is one thing…one person…” Merlin gave him a crooked smile. “I’m not good at this. My agent always says I should keep that part of my live hidden. But gosh, you’re so hot…I can’t even…”

Before Arthur knew it, he had his arms wrapped around Merlin’s neck and their lips touched in a hungry kiss. Arthur sighed when he could finally feel and taste Merlin and he didn’t care at all that they only met the day before. Merlin just did something to him that he couldn’t resist. Arthur leaned into the kiss when the strong fingers found their way underneath his shirt, knowing he needed to get even closer. 

“Want you,” Merlin whispered between kisses.

All Arthur could do was moan. He had hot dreams about Merlin’s arse all throughout the night. “Going to fuck you so good.” He closed his eyes when Merlin attacked his neck with kisses.

But then Merlin stopped all movement which made Arthur open his eyes again. 

“That’s not to your liking?” He swallowed hard and pulled back, trying to straighten his shirt. He could hardly look at Merlin. This was awkward!

A hand in his shirt kept him from retreating further. “Too much to my liking. Gosh, you’re so hot.”

“Then what is the problem?” Arthur tried to keep his hands to himself, but Merlin pulled him close again.

“Big horse scenes tomorrow. I’ll most likely be in the saddle for the bigger part of the day. And I haven’t…you know…for a while.”

A slow grin showed on Arthur’s face. So there was a chance to get what he really wanted if he didn’t mess this up now. 

“How about…I’ll suck your brains out through your dick?”

Arthur dove in again, sucking at Merlin’s lip, those fucking plump lips that he was going to feel around his prick soon. The thought alone could have make him come. 

There was some fumbling with belts and zippers and soon enough Arthur found himself sitting on the very couch he had found Merlin on the day before, his naked arse against the cool leather, his shirt open and his pants around his ankles. Merlin hungrily kissed and nibbled down Arthur’s chest and was on his knees in front of him soon, tugging at his boxers.

Arthur lifted a bit to help and soon his underwear joined his pants, but he didn’t have time to think about that as Merlin made good of his promise. At the first contact of Merlin’s hot mouth with his already throbbing cock, Arthur gasped. He hadn’t felt anything like that for ages. Even though he wanted to watch, didn’t want to miss a single second of this, Arthur’s head fell back and he closed his eyes. Merlin was just too good, kissing, sucking, nibbling, licking all the right places, finding all the over sensitive spots. Arthur’s hand found its way into Merlin’s hair, he needed the contact, needed to feel that this was a real person and not just a very sexy dream. 

Merlin almost brought him to the edge twice but was clever enough to pull back which Arthur loved and hated at the same time. He needed to come so badly! “Please…” Arthur lifted his head in time to see a wicked gleam in Merlin’s eyes before he swallowed him as far as possible and started to suck hard.

Arthur yelled out and came harder than he ever remembered coming, digging his fist into Merlin’s hair, bucking up into his mouth, before he slumped down again. His fingers slid out of Merlin’s hair when Merlin pulled back and wiped at his mouth, grinning. “Still got any brain left?”

Chuckling, Arthur shook his head. It felt as if Merlin hadn’t even left enough for him to speak in full sentences. “You?”

“Don’t worry about me.” Merlin got up and reached for his t-shirt. “As long as this is long enough, I’m fine.”

It took Arthur a moment to process this, but when Merlin got up, he saw the wet spot on his jeans. “Sorry.”

Merlin sat down next to him on the couch. “For being so hot that I come sucking you? You gotta be kidding.” He leaned over and kissed Arthur softly. “I hope we can repeat this some time?”

Arthur nodded. Yes, he wanted to repeat this and do a lot more with Merlin. And next time, he would come prepared. “When would it be convenient for you?”

Chuckling, Merlin reached for his mobile that just started buzzing. “Sorry, gotta take this.” He got up. “Yeah?...Uh huh…alright…give me ten and I’ll be there.” He hung up. “I’m sorry, they need me for a meeting about tomorrow.” 

Arthur tried not to show his disappointment but Merlin must have noticed. He got up but bent over to lean in close. “As hot as you are like this, you better get dressed again. We don’t want you to get in trouble that would keep us from meeting again, do we?” He put another soft kiss on Arthur’s lips before he straightened up again. “See you.”

When the door clicked shut behind him, Arthur grinned. That wonderful, hot horse-handler still had no idea who he was.

+++

Merlin had to run to the impromptu meeting after changing out of his soggy jeans. He giggled like a school boy and it was almost just as long since he had come from sucking someone. But fuck, this Arthur was hot and Merlin hoped he would get to see a lot more of him and that he would make good of his promise to fuck him. 

But that was far from his mind as the director wanted to use the time for a read through of the next day’s scenes to save the time they had lost due to bad weather. 

When he finally could leave, it was too late to go looking for Arthur and in the morning, it was too early and Merlin knew they would have to make up for lost time, so he had a full day of shooting ahead. At 5:30, he was in the make-up chair, by 6 he was on set, holding on to a travel mug of hot tea to wake him up. Finally, someone brought his horse, so he went to say hello like he would have done with every other actor. Merlin had the utmost respect for the trained film horses and he knew he wasn’t the best of riders, so it was always good to stay on the animal’s good side by bribing it with carrots and things. 

Hours later, Merlin slid off the horse again, patted its neck and stroked the soft nose. “Thank you. Let’s take a break, okay? I’ll be back later and I need you in top form. After all, from the two of us, you’re the one who knows what he’s doing.” Merlin whispered and smiled when the horse snuffled into his face. “See you.”

“Flirting with your horse again, Merlin?” Gwen came over with an amused smile on her face.

“Of course. Isn’t that what they told us in training? To communicate with the animals? To bond with them?” He grinned and walked with her to the catering tent. 

She giggled. “I’m not sure if they meant that you should all but propose to them. You are aware of the fact that yours is a gelding, right?”

“Hey!” He reached for a tray. “They need love, too!”

+++

Arthur woke up from nice dreams much later than he had planned. Leon knew that he had a meeting in town, why hadn’t he woken him up? Then, the meeting had taken a lot longer than he had expected and after that, he had to go for lunch with one of his business partners. So he only came back to the mansion in the late afternoon and not in the best mood. 

As soon as he was back and had changed out of his business suit into jeans and a t-shirt – something he had found out was the ‘uniform’ of the film people – he went to his office where he found the filming schedule on top of his mail, which made Arthur smile. Leon knew his priorities better than he did. 

He checked his watch and found out that the crew was probably on lunch break, they usually had a very late lunch. That meant that they were probably modifying the set for a next scene. But if they were still doing scenes where horses were needed, Arthur thought he had a good chance of finding Merlin tending to the animals. He didn’t want to keep him from doing his work or get him in trouble, he just wanted to stroll by, say hi and signal that he liked what they did last night and that he was looking forward to a repeat. 

Arthur was smiling as he jumped down the stairs and startled when he found Leon at the end of them. “Hello, Leon!”

“My lord! Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No, thanks. I’m just going to see what they are doing with our park and if I have to call for the gardeners.”

Leon just nodded his head, not commenting or pointing out that the film crew were obligated to repair any damage they might do. 

Arthur slipped out the door and went for the stables that were rented out for the film horses. He had no idea where the difference between a normal horse and a film horse was, but the team brought their own horses in. Which was alright, Camelot Mansion probably didn’t have enough horses left for such a huge production. 

As he neared the stables, a tall man approached him. 

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

“I intended to visit my horses.” Even though the other was a head taller and had biceps the size of Arthur’s thighs, Arthur wasn’t impressed. 

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that.”

For a security man, he was rather articulate. 

“I’m afraid you don’t understand. These are my horses, I can go see them any time I wish.”

The tall one stepped in his way. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, but you don’t belong with the crew. I can’t let just anyone in, so either you get yourself a badge or you will have to see your horses some other time.”

Arthur took a deep breath, there was no need to get worked up over this. The man was just doing his job and he was good at it, too. Maybe he should let Leon make a contact, in case he ever needed a bodyguard. “I understand.” He turned to leave, but then turned back. “Are you familiar with the horse handlers?”

“I have worked with them before, so I know most of them. Who are you looking for?”

Arthur noticed that the man had lost his hostile attitude, which was good. “Someone named Merlin? About as tall as me, black hair, blue eyes?” Broad shoulders, plump lips and an arse to die for, but of course Arthur didn’t mention that.

Disappointment ran through him when the tall man shook his head. “Doesn’t ring a bell. There are no horse people with that name.”

“Oh. Maybe I misunderstood, thank you. Mind if I take a little walk around here?” The question felt ridiculous, this was his property, he could take all the walks he wanted.

The man shrugged. “You won’t see much. The actors are in the catering tent for lunch and there’s not much to be redone for the next scene.”

This basically translated into ‘don’t bother the actors’ and ‘not much to see, just leave’, but Arthur smiled anyway. “Thank you very much.” If he went to the sitting room on the second floor, he would probably get a glimpse of the shooting and even though he wasn’t too interested in the cinema, finding out more about the process of film making seemed very appealing now. 

+++

Merlin climbed off the wooden boxes and rolled his shoulders. They had done the same scene than before lunch, just from a different angle. So he had stood on the boxes for about an hour now, repeating his lines over and over while the camera filmed Gwen’s reaction over his shoulder. It was ridiculous that this took so long and in the end, only few seconds of this would end up in the finished film. But he got paid for it and he got paid well, so he didn’t complain.

“You alright?” Linda smiled at him and held out a tray full of fruit, cookies, candy bars and drinks as the crew started to change the set a bit. 

“If you keep that up, I’ll end up fat and the costume department will chase me all over the grounds.” Merlin grinned, but took a bottle of water, a banana and a cookie.

She chuckled. “Then you will lose the calories and your costume will fit again. That cap is very striking.” She winked.

Laughing, Merlin opened the water bottle. “First you feed me, then you pay me compliments, you’re keeping the mood up high.” 

“Just doing my job as caterer.” She tried a mock-version of a courtsy and turned to Gwen who’d just come over. 

Merlin went back to his chair and didn’t listen to the banter and chatter around him while he ate his banana and then nibbled on the cookie. He threw the mansion looks as if that alone could make Arthur appear. How weird was it that he almost missed him? They had sex, that was all and even though they both had agreed on more, it didn’t mean that Arthur hadn’t changed his mind. And what was he doing here anyway? He was working, he couldn’t let a fling get in the way of him concentrating on his job. 

And yet he couldn’t help but search the place for Arthur’s form. If Arthur hadn’t changed his mind, the Earl probably gave him too much to do, so he couldn’t come watch the shooting as some of the staff of the castle had done. Merlin was used to spectators when they shot at public places. He had just never encountered people so friendly and polite. Some of them seemed to be fans, so he had gone over, posed for photos and signed things for them and thanked them for their good work in the castle, even though he had no idea who did what. 

Arthur hadn’t been amongst them but yes, he had probably just been busy. What was it about the blond that made Merlin’s thoughts go back to him all the time? Now he was even pondering which off-limits part of the mansion he could sneak into this time for a chance to be caught again! This wasn’t normal, but the attraction he had felt from the very first moment was stronger than anything he had ever felt before. 

But he didn’t have much more time to dwell on this as Nimueh came over to refresh his make-up for the next scene. 

+++

 

Arthur had been walking around for half an hour but hadn’t managed to find Merlin. There had been people holding horses, waiting for the actors to come back, but none of them was dark-haired, blue-eyed and big-eared. He could as well go back to the house.

What was it about this man that made him act like a schoolgirl with a crush? It wasn’t that he was good-looking, even though that was a bonus, it was more the way he acted around him. Merlin treated him like just any other man and that was something Arthur hadn’t experienced in…actually, he had never experienced it. First, he had been the son of Earl Pendragon and now he held the title himself. It was always ‘my lord’, or ‘your lordship’, not even Leon whom he knew all of his life, called him by his first name anymore. Merlin didn’t know, he probably thought he was one of the butlers. What would he do if he found out who he really was? Arthur needed to find out. He couldn’t get involved with someone who changed his behavior when he learned who he was. 

Involved. Was he getting involved? This all was very confusing. They had just met, but he already felt more for Merlin than he had for anyone before. 

Or maybe he was just horny enough to mistake lust for feelings.

When he walked back to the house, a dark-skinned beauty in a 1920s outfit passed him, and he nodded a greeting. She was carrying a script like the one Merlin had in his hands last night. Was she…was she one of the actresses? What if Merlin wasn’t a horse-handler at all but one of the actors? Arthur stopped in his tracks, turned and looked after her. And now that he thought about it, hadn’t Merlin mentioned an agent? He had never confirmed that he was one of the horse people. Arthur turned and followed the woman. 

+++

Merlin wandered down the corridor after the last ‘cut’ of the day, on his way to his room. It had been a long day and as much as he would have liked to see Arthur again, a hot shower and a couple of hours of sleep sounded heavenly. 

He yelped when he passed a pillar and a hand shot out from behind it, grabbing his upper arm. His muscled tightened and he was ready to fight, but then he saw who his attacker was a moment before he felt warm lips on his and the hand that had held his arm found its way into his hair.

Pulling back slightly, Merlin grinned. “Give me a heart attack, why don’t you?” He didn’t give Arthur time to answer as he dove in for another kiss, dropping his backpack to wrap his arms around Arthur’s middle.

“My room or yours?” 

“Yours.” Arthur didn’t let go of him and dragged him down the corridor and up the stairs until they finally reached Merlin’s room.

The moment, the door fell shut behind them, Arthur was kissing him again and Merlin didn’t mind one bit. It was actually what he had been dreaming of all day long. He was already tugging at Arthur’s shirt, as he toes off his shoes and felt Arthur’s fingers on his belt. 

Somehow they made it over to the bed, fumbling with clothes, trying to get to the others’ naked skin as soon as possible. 

When they finally managed, Merlin looked up at Arthur. He loved the tousled hair and the wild look on Arthur’s face. “Will you…”

“Will I what?” Arthur claimed his lips again and Merlin forgot what he was going to ask for a moment.

“Your suggestion in the library?” 

A grin spread across Arthur’s face. “I thought you’d never ask. Do you have…”

Merlin nodded and turned towards the nightstand. He always had some lube along, just in case nights got lonely but for some odd reason this time he had also packed condoms. “Even though I hope you’re clean…” He handed Arthur a condom, only now remembering that they had totally forgotten about precaution that day. 

“Of course. You?”

Merlin nodded. He didn’t even have a one-night-stand since he had been tested last. “Yes. Still…”

Arthur smiled as he pulled back. “Lasts longer with them.” He winked at Merlin as he rolled the condom down his already hard length. 

Merlin was close to panting. This all went so fast, but he really wanted Arthur, so he pulled his legs to his chest and grabbed his knees with his hands. “Come on.”

He appreciated that Arthur took enough time to prepare him anyway, even though he could hardly wait to finally feel that beautiful cock inside. Gritting his teeth when he felt the thick head breach him, Merlin tried to relax. His head fell back onto the pillow when Arthur pulled back a bit only to shove in a bit further.

“You’re so tight.”

“Told you, it’s been a while.” Not that he would discuss his former, almost non-existent love life with Arthur now. Merlin relaxed a bit more and urged him on. “Now.”

Finally he felt Arthur inside all the way, thick and hot and just perfect. “Stay…stay like this for…please…”

Arthur tried to lean down and kiss Merlin but that wasn’t possible without almost bending him in half, so he closed his eyes and stayed just in the same position.

Merlin loved this first moment of total connection but soon enough he needed to move. So he squirmed and squeezed around Arthur, enjoying the sounds he drew out of him that way. “Move!” he ordered.

From that moment on, they both knew there was no time to go slow, so they found a fast and hard rhythm and Merlin thought he never had been fucked so well. They moved together, their bodies slamming into each other with all the urgency that had pent up in the past days. 

When Arthur got up further on his knees and pounded into Merlin at a slightly different angle, Merlin felt the familiar tingling down his spine. He went rigid when his orgasm hit and he shot his load all over his belly. 

Only when his head fell back onto the pillow again, he noticed that Arthur had come, too. After they caught their breaths, they moving around some, discarded of the condom and cleaned up, Merlin reached for Arthur.

“Don’t go.” 

Arthur looked at him, his face unreadable. “You will need your sleep. You will be working tomorrow.”

“Just for a bit?” Merlin didn’t mind partners leaving after sex. But Arthur was different. He wanted to hold him and breathe in a bit more of his scent, feel him close and probably fall asleep together. His face lit up when Arthur just slid down next to him and kissed him softly.

+++

It had been very difficult to get up in the middle of the night and leave Merlin’s room, but Arthur thought it was better this way. They both would wake up in their rooms in the morning and nobody would be compromised. There was no need for rumors, even though he knew that Leon saw right through him. He found a newly bought tube of lube and condoms neatly arranged in his bathroom. 

Even though he hadn’t woken up with Merlin, Arthur was in a good mood and startled some of his staff by cheerily wishing them a good morning when he passed them by.

After showing a healthy appetite at breakfast, he went to his office where the daily film schedule already waited for him. There seemed to be a lot of scenes in smaller rooms and corridors, so it made no sense to take another walk into the gardens in hope of getting a glimpse of Merlin working.

Speaking of which, Arthur took the overall schedule and leaved through it. Too bad that there were only the names of the characters that were needed on the specific sets, not the names of the people involved. Arthur still didn’t know Merlin’s last name, but he could do a bit of research on the movie they did here, couldn’t he?

The internet provided a wide range of information about the film and the different sets and Arthur found it interesting to find out that Camelot Mansion wouldn’t be the only location aside from the studios in Cardiff. The more he learned, the more fascinating he found it and decided to take a closer look at the crew’s work from now on. 

And then he found names. Gwen Smith, Lancelot du Lac and starring…Merlin Emrys. Arthur checked a few websites to confirm. Merlin definitely wasn’t the little horse handler he first thought, Merlin was the star of this movie!

When he typed the name into his browser again, lots and lots of websites offered information on Merlin Emrys, who seemed to be the up and coming star on the British Isles. Arthur wasn’t sure if he should do this research, it didn’t seem fair that he got so much more info on Merlin than Merlin had about him. But it was too interesting to read that Merlin was Welsh, spoke three different foreign languages (if you counted Welsh as a foreign language), had gotten a few awards for his acting even before he landed the lead role in a TV show that ran for 5 years which had made his face known in 170 countries around the world. 

Arthur felt dumb. He seemed to be the only one who had never heard of Merlin Emrys and his amazing talent. 

He only stopped looking at all the different photos of him he found on the internet when Leon informed him that lunch was ready. 

+++

Merlin sighed when he noticed that Arthur had left sometime during the night. It would have been nice to wake up next to him, but maybe he had to be up even before him to do his job for the Earl. 

He felt sore in all the right places and had a huge grin on his face when he showed up at the make-up trailer.

“If I didn’t know it better, I’d say you got lucky last night.” Pedro grinned and already pushed him into one of the chairs.

“In this deserted area?” Merlin hoped he wouldn’t blush too much but Pedro let it go.

“If so, good for you. Now on to what we’re going to do today.”

At lunch break, Merlin felt like he had changed costumes at least twenty times, they'd done scenes where he just had to walk through a door and *look* or some where he just stood about in the background and he was exhausted. After lunch, he would have a larger scene with Lance and Freya and even though he would much rather spend his time with Arthur, he was looking forward to it.

“I’m going to tell him myself.” Kevin, one of the producers came over to where Merlin had found a seat in the catering tent and was about to eat the potato soup that had just screamed his name.

Merlin’s spoon stopped half way to his mouth. “Tell him what?” He looked expectantly at Kevin, who slid in the chair across from him. 

“Merlin, we need you to pack a few things. You and Gwen will be going to Scotland tonight.”

“What for?” Merlin blinked. His scenes in Scotland had been shot before they even came here.

“We have to redo a few things. It’ll only take the day, you should be back here in the evening. If not, the next morning.”

Nodding, Merlin continued eating. This was his job. If they needed him up in Scotland for a day, he would go there and redo the scenes with Gwen. He couldn’t help feeling disappointed, though. This meant at least one night without the chance of seeing Arthur. He needed to find him to tell him about this. 

Then he smiled at his lunch. Even though he would never admit that out loud, he felt like a giddy school boy having his first crush, but Arthur was different from all the men he had met in years, maybe they were on to something here. It was nice that for once, someone didn’t treat him like the movie star but just as himself. 

So he finished his lunch, only listening half to what Kevin told him, and got up. “I better pack my bag now, won’t take long, I’ll be back for the scene.”

“Okay, you do that. Pack for two nights, just to be on the safe side.”

When Merlin was done stuffing only the most necessary things into his bag, he rushed out of his room. He needed to find Arthur but this time, he didn’t find anyone of the staff. Where were they when you needed them? Ah, there was Leon!

“Leon? I’m sorry, that’s your name, right?”

The tall man nodded once. “That is correct. Is there anything I can do for you, Sir?”

“Yes. At least I hope so. I will have to leave for a day or two.”

Leon nodded as if that was the most normal thing happening. 

“I need to find Arthur, he’s a co-worker of yours, I think, please tell me that you know him?” Merlin looked hopeful.

A little smile tugged at the corners of Leon’s mouth. “Indeed I do. Should I find him for you?”

Oh, thank heavens! At least this way he could get a message to Arthur. “I don’t have time for that. They are waiting for me for the next scene and after that, I’ll most likely have to get into the car right away. Would you tell him that I’m not around for a while?”

“Of course.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how big that favour is you’re doing me!” Merlin beamed widely. “There’s Ben to drag me to the set by my ear, I gotta go! Thanks again!”

Merlin rushed out before Ben could raise his eyebrow and didn’t notice the fond smile on Leon’s face.

+++

Arthur wasn’t happy when Leon informed him of Merlin’s absence. What was it about Merlin that he had gotten so attached to him in such a short time? But where his days had been filled with work and solitude before, they were just boring and empty. Arthur scolded himself for acting this way, but that one day without Merlin seemed to drag on forever – and it was only 10:30.

Taking his jacket, Arthur decided to pay the film crew a visit. This time, he was faced with a petite brunette instead of the giant but she turned out to be just as persistent as the man, trying to keep him away from the set. Only when one of the producers came by and noticed him, he was allowed in. 

They found him a chair where he could see a monitor and when he raised his eyes, he could see the whole scene. It was fascinating to see how much work went into one scene only and what had to go on in the background. The more Arthur saw, the more he wondered why he never had shown interest in film and television. 

When they interrupted for lunch, the brunette came over.

“Listen, Sir…my lord, I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

“Arthur, just call me Arthur.” He smiled. “And do not worry, it is your job and you are good at it.”

She smiled back. “Thank you. I’m sure you could have something better, but the catering here on set is really good. Maybe you want to join us?”

“Inviting mysterious strangers to the tent, Mithi?” Freya laughed as she came over and then turned to Arthur. “But she’s right, your lordship, you should try the catering here.”

“Please call me Arthur.” The film crew had a clearly visible hierarchy but they were all so relaxed that it would have felt strange to have them address him by his title. “And how could I resist a lunch invitation from not only one but two very charming ladies?” He got up and accompanied them to the catering tent. 

When he finally fell into bed late at night – they had done a night scene down by the lake and invited him along – Arthur had a newly found respect for the work these people did. They were up early in the morning and worked all day, only taking short breaks when possible, and late into the night, only to be up again after a few hours of sleep. All that for making people feel good for 90 minutes, telling stories about other people’s lives in other times. When they were done here, everyone would go on to different projects without much time off in between. 

Everybody had been very friendly, answering his questions and making him feel part of the team. For that last scene, he had helped carrying boxes around and held a nervous horse, patting it, talking to it until it calmed down. It had not been the biggest job ever, but Arthur felt great. When Merlin was back, he needed to tell him that he had been the horse handler for a while, it sure would make Merlin smile.

With the thought of Merlin’s wonderful smile, Arthur finally fell asleep.

+++

Merlin got out of the van and turned to help Gwen out, too. They were finally back at the castle – really, where did a mansion end and where did a castle start? This house was clearly huge, so ‘castle’ fit as well – after two days away. The first day had been filled with redoing the scenes that hadn’t worked out the first time. They worked concentrated and were done quickly only to have to pose for promo shots. When Merlin thought they could go back and would arrive at the castle in the morning, he had been corrected. They did another scene and then a short piece where Gwen and he interviewed each other, using the silliest questions they had ever been asked, all in costume and in character. 

“Thank you, dear.” Gwen grinned as she still used the snobbish accent she did for her character. 

“The pleasure’s all mine.” Merlin bowed and then straightened up, grinning just as wide. “And it’s good to be back.”

Gwen nodded. “As much fun it was to spend time with you, it’s great to be back with the pack.”

Merlin hoped he would have some time to find Arthur, or at least Leon to relay the news that he was back, but he already was being dragged off to the make-up trailer.

Late in the afternoon, he thought he saw Arthur walking down the corridor on the second floor and smiled. With a bit of luck, he would see him after his last scene for the day.

Which took a lot longer than Merlin had expected and when he dragged his feet down the corridor, all he wanted to do was sleep. 

“You are back.”

Merlin smiled when he heard the voice. “Yes, I am. I’m sorry that I couldn’t tell you before I left, this was very short notice.”

Arthur stepped up to him. “Leon told me right away.” The expectant look on Arthur’s face made Merlin want nothing more than pull him close and kiss him.

“Arthur…I…I’m dead on my feet, I won’t be up to much…” As he said the words, he felt as disappointed as Arthur looked. “But…I mean…if that’s okay for you…we could…I don’t know…sit together and talk?”

+++

Of course sitting and talking hadn’t been all they had done. There had been a lot of kissing and running fingers across skin, too. But what made Arthur beam widely the next day had been Merlin’s murmured “I really like you.” before he finally fell asleep. Arthur had held him most of the night, unable to sleep himself. Nobody ever had said these words, not knowing who he was and what a title like his meant. 

As good as it felt to be liked for himself, Arthur knew he needed to come clean. It just wasn’t fair that he knew who Merlin was and Merlin knew nothing about him. Somehow there hadn’t been the right moment when they sat and talked or maybe he just had been afraid of Merlin’s reaction. But their time was running out with the actual filming being done in about two days – everything after that was just cleaning up – and Arthur didn’t want it to end. From what Merlin had said the previous night, he felt similar and Arthur knew he owed him the truth, even though Merlin hadn’t revealed who he was either. 

When Arthur entered his office, he called for Leon right away.

+++

Merlin was glad when he finally got the signal that he was done for the day. He still was in a good mood and had a remark and a heads-up for everyone, but he wanted to go back, put his feet up and…oh, who was he trying to fool, he hoped to run into Arthur again and maybe they could continue where they had left off the other night.

Last night had been great, even though they had just talked and then necked like teenagers. Even though he was concentrated on his work, Merlin used every free minute to think about their situation. It had sounded as if Arthur didn’t want to end things the moment he left here either, but he needed to make sure. Which also meant, he would have to tell him who he was. He didn’t see himself as the big star, he was just an actor and he did a job, but he couldn’t deny that all the hard work had made his face well-known in the industry and that he had fans around the world. Would Arthur be able to handle this? Whatever the end would be, he needed to tell him.

When Merlin reached the mansion, Leon seemed to have waited for him. 

“Good evening, Mr. Emrys.”

“Good evening, Leon.” Merlin smiled as he hoisted his backpack further up on his shoulder. Maybe Leon could help him find Arthur? 

“If it is convenient for you, Sir, Earl Pendragon would like your company for dinner.”

Merlin stopped in his tracks. He had expected a request for a photo or an autograph, a comment or two about the movie they were making, but definitely not an invitation for dinner with the old man. “Like…now?”

“Yes, Sir.” For the first time Merlin saw Leon grin, yes, grin. “Like…now.”

“Okay.” What options did he have? Production paid the old man a lot of money so they could use the castle as a set, but it would be very impolite to not follow a dinner invitation now that the Earl showed interest in any of them for the first time. “You mean, I shouldn’t change into something better?” Today of all days, Merlin had chosen his oldest pair of jeans, the ones with the holes above the knee and a t-shirt that seemed to be older than himself and his grey comfy-hoodie. 

“If I might say so, you look fine.”

Merlin took that as a ‘follow me now, we can’t let the old man wait’ and trotted after Leon. 

+++

 

Leon opened the door and announced Merlin but when he entered, it was only Arthur pouring a drink. Merlin blinked as his heartbeat sped up. As soon as Leon left, Merlin went over, wrapped his arms around Arthur and pressed his lips into his neck. “Missed you all day long.”

Arthur set the glass down and turned. “Merlin.”

“You’re right, we shouldn’t do that here. The old man can show up any second.” Merlin looked around.

“Merlin, the ‘old man’ is already here.” 

Merlin looked again, in case he had overlooked anyone, but then he turned back to Arthur, who looked back at him sincerely. “You…?”

“Yes, Merlin. Me.”

“But why…I mean…” Merlin didn’t know what to say. So he hadn’t been the only one playing a charade. 

“I could ask you the very same thing, don’t you think?” 

Merlin blinked again. Arthur knew who he was, or rather, who he was to the outside world. He took a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I…it just was so nice to be treated like a normal person for once. You had no idea who I was and that was so refreshing. No false hero-worship, no fanboying, no autographs and photos that end up on the internet within seconds. You took me for the person I am and I really liked that. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lie to you. Actually, before Leon stopped me, I tried to find you to tell you exactly that.” He swallowed hard and when he looked at Arthur, he couldn’t believe it. Arthur smiled. This was confusing.

“I think we did the same thing for very similar reasons.”

“What do you mean?”

“The part about the ‘normal person’. I may not have hoards of fans, but it’s usually ‘my lord’ here and ‘your lordship’ there, people stop talking when I come into the room and a lot of things are expected of me. Not even Leon, whom I’ve known for all of my life, calls me Arthur anymore. And then this ‘horse handler’ came along and just took me for who I am, not for what I am. I didn’t mean to take you on, Merlin. I never thought this would happen to me, but when I realized I didn’t want things between us to end when you have to leave here, I had to tell you.”

Merlin didn’t say anything for a long while but then couldn’t hold back anymore. He looked at Arthur and laughed until tears were streaming down his face. First, Arthur looked at him a bit shocked, but when he realized that Merlin wasn’t laughing at him, he joined in. 

“We’re idiots.”

“Complete nutjobs.”

“Weirdos.”

“Yup.”

Merlin slowly calmed down and held out his hand. Arthur took it in an instant and he pulled him close. “Hi,” he whispered, “I’m Merlin Emrys and I work as an actor.”

“Hello, Merlin,” Arthur smirked. “I’m Arthur Pendragon, 7th Earl of…oh, I’ll spare you the details. Just kiss me.”

 

+++

 

Epilogue

Arthur couldn’t believe it took almost a year until the movie finally came out. Of course he had seen little snippets when Merlin had taken him along when he had to do some dubbing work on it but that had only made him want to see the film even more.

It had been a turbulent year since the film crew had packed up. They had left, but Merlin had stayed. He had to leave for work a lot and Arthur still wasn’t too sure if he liked those long absences, but he knew that Merlin was great at his job – he might be a bit biased here – and since an actor never knew if he would work again when he finished a project, he took all the good offers while they were still coming. 

When Merlin was away, Arthur had watched everything there was footage of and he was in awe of how much Merlin could be a different person on screen. 

During the winter season, Merlin had been in a play and Arthur had moved to the town house in London for the time, so he could go see the play whenever he wanted. 

Now the big day was here, the film premiere, Merlin’s big day. And Gwen’s and Lance’s and Freya’s, too, but as much as Arthur liked them and considered them friends, it was Merlin who counted. 

“Are you sure about this, Merlin?”

“Never been surer of anything in my life, babe.” Merlin winked at him and then chuckled when Arthur’s face fell. Merlin knew exactly what he thought about pet names. 

The driver opened the door and Merlin squeezed Arthur’s hand before he got out of the car, into the thunderstorm of flashlights going off, ‘Merlin! Merlin!’ shouting from fans and press alike. Arthur took a deep breath and followed. He knew his role and stayed two steps away from Merlin, let him do his thing, take selfies with the fans, sign programs and pose for the photographers, without interfering. This world was so alien to him that he wondered if he would ever get used to it.

But when they reached the end of the red carpet, about to enter the building, Merlin came over, put his hand on the small of his back and beamed at him and Arthur smiled back.

“Love you,” Merlin whispered and then turned to wave at the assembled crowd once more before he led him into the theatre.


End file.
